Improvement in copying-presses



1-. HUYT.

W. H. HOFFMAN & B. St.

Copying-Press.

Patentedflct. 5,1875.

whaww' haw N. PETERS. PH

UNITED STATES PATENT Orrron.

. WILLIAM H. HOFFMAN, OF PASSAIG, NEW JERSEY, AND BUOKINGHAM ST.

JOHN HOYT, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN COPVlNG-PRESSES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 168,494, dated October5, 1875 application filed September 15, 1875.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, WILLIAM H. HOFF- MAN, of Passaic, in the county ofPassaic and State of New Jersey, and BUCKINGHAM ST. JOHN HOYT, of NewYork, in the county and State of New York, have invented an ImprovedGopyiugPress; and we do hereby declare that the following is a fullclear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawing, making part of this specification.

Our invention relates to a press which is intended more particularly foruse in copying letters in a book, but may be used for various pressingpurposes.

The invention consists in a novel construction and arrangement of atoggle mechanism and an adjustable cross-head, and the combinationthereof with the platen and other parts of the press, whereby a rapidmotion .and powerful pressure are obtained in a simple manner, andprovision is made for adj usting the platen to books or articles ofvarious thicknesses.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 represents a side view, partly insection, of our improved press, with the platen or pressureplate nearlyin its highest position. Fig. 2 is a similar "iew, with the platen inits lowest position.

The press may be made of either cast or wrought iron or steel.

A represents the base or bed-plate, from which rises an arched truss, B,which may be cast in the same piece with the base A, or made separatelyand attached thereto. The truss may be made in two pieces, to providefor an open space between them, or it may be made in one piece, with avertical slot, b, extending from near the spring of the arch on one sideto a corresponding point on the opposite side. In this vertical openingor slot 1) works a cross-head, G, which is held in place by means of adevice which may be adjusted to regulate the height of the cross-head.The regulating device sho wn herein consists of a screw, D, passingthrough a boss or solid enlargement, e, at the apex of the arched truss,and having its point engaging with a tap-hole in the cross-head C, sothat by turning the screw in one direction or the other the crosshead israised or lowered. The screw may be provided with a handle or a milledhead, d, to facilitate the turning of the same. In the lower portion ofthe cross-head G a horizontal shaft, F, has its bearings. This shaft isprovided with a handle or lever, f, at one end, and to the other end isattached a disk or plate, G, which is provided with two wrists, g g, andthus constitutes a double crank. The platen H is connected to thecross-head O by two toggle-joints, J J, each of which has its upper endpivoted to the cross-head, and its lower end pivoted to the platen. Thetoggle- I joints are connected to the disk or double crank G by links II, each of which has one end pivoted to the joint and the other endpivoted to the plate or disk Gr by means of the wrists g g. These linksmay be either straight or curved in any suitable form. We prefer to havethem curved in a form similar to that shown in the drawing, or somewhatsimilar to the letter S, as such form facilitates their properattachment and operation. When the shaft F is turned in the directionindicated by the arrow 1 in Fig. 1, the toggle-joints J are bentoutward, and the platen H is raised and continues to rise until the endsof the links I, which are attached to the plate G, are furthest fromeach other, and all the pivots of said link are in line, and the platenis then in its highest position. When the shaft is turned in theopposite direction the motion is reversed, the toggles J are drawntoward each other so as to straighten them, and the platen H descendsuntil the wrists g g or pivots of the inner ends of the links I havepassed each other-each describing nearly a semicircle as the plate G.revolves-and have arrived in a position with relation to each othernearly the reverse of the first position, by which means the platen isdepressed to its lowest point, or so as to exert the greatest pressureupon the book or article placed between the platen and the bedorbase-plate. The handle or lever f may be so arranged on the shaft F asto pass the center before the platen has reached the lowest point in itsdescent, by which means greater leverage will be obtained. The size ofthe plate G, the

length of the links I, and the points of attachment or connection of thetoggles J, may be varied at pleasure in order to vary the amount oftravel of the platen and the power required to obtain the desiredpressure.

By means of the regulating device attached to the cross-head the platenmay be raised or lowered and held at various distances from thebed-plate, so as to provide for pressing books, articles, or packages ofvarious thicknesses, without changing the arrangement or operation ofthe devices employed for raising and lowering the platen in the pressingprocess,- as the platen and its attachments are connected with thecross-head, and rise and fall therewith, and their operation is notinterfered with by the rising and falling thereof.

In a press constructed as herein described, a rapid motion and powerfulpressure are obtained in a simple manner; and, as the platen cannot riseafter the pivots of the inner ends of the links I have passed a verticalline in the downward movement of the platen, the

book or other article in the press may be allowed to remain underpressure as long as may be. desired.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure I by Letters Patent, is-

1. The adjustable cross-head 0, containing the bearing of thetoggle-operating shaft F, in combination with said shaft and the archbetween the platen and bed-plate to accommodate books or articles ofvarious thicknesses, substantially as herein described.

2. The combination of the platen H, the adjustable cross-head O, thetoggles J, connecting-links 1, disk or crank G, rotating shaft F, andarch B, substantially as herein described.

. WILLIAM H. HOFFMAN.

BUOKINGHAlVI ST. JOHN HOYT. Witnesse'sz" I MICHAEL RYAN,

BENJAMIN W. HOFFMAN.

B, for the purposevot' adjusting the distance I

